Bedroom Decorating Ideas: Young Children

Beautiful kids’ bedrooms that are both playful and comfortable

Slide 1 Of Bedroom Decorating Ideas: Young Children

These beautiful kids’ bedrooms are both playful and comfortable, spaces where being sent to your room is more of a reward than a punishment. Start your decorating with a stylish color palette, add smart furnishings, and you have bedrooms for young boys and girls that will easily transition to more grown-up spaces when needed.

Bed space is never an issue in this room. With so much useful vertical space, it’s a dream scenario for rambunctious little boys. Straw baskets beneath the beds make storage a breeze, and individual curtains on each bed allow for some privacy at bedtime.

Why We Love It
The nautical theme extends to the smallest details, from the classic white and navy lines to the button rivets on the pillowcases to the boat propeller ceiling fans. Even the bunk beds themselves are reminiscent of the crowded sleeping quarters on a pirate ship.

Along with abundant sunlight from oversized windows, this eco-friendly nursery is decked out with creamy white mineral-based lime paint and hardwood floors finished with a low-VOC non-toxic sealer. Handcrafted wooden toys with nontoxic finishes line shelves, and animals from a Noah’s Ark crafted in Germany march across the floor.

Why We Love It
The blonde wood paired with white painted walls light up this room with warm and natural light. The crib’s cozy linens and organic fill-mattress are soothing for a baby.

This compartmentalized yet cozy kids’ room is the perfect hangout for sleepovers. A gender-neutral color palette allows for framed artwork and fish patterned window treatments to jazz up the sage green walls without committing to a specific color theme. Clean lines on the linens match the molding around the ceiling and sides of the twin bunk beds.

Why We Love It
The beds are equipped with their own reading lights and bookshelves, allowing each to be a miniature sovereign space or a communal play area.

A built-in daybed and ample shelving make this cute girl’s room as efficient as it is charming. The vibrant turquoise, white, and watermelon scheme suits her now, but can grow with her -- thanks to the neutral foundation offered by the linen white woodwork and antique chandelier. Watermelon accents include the upholstered headboard, bolster pillows, and custom-made pillows that sport appliques of her silhouette.

Why We Love It
We love the twin shelving on either side of the daybed, a beautiful home for books and small toys. The bed itself is equipped with plenty of storage space in the drawers underneath. The closets are outfitted with heavy curtains so that clutter can quickly be concealed.

Part of a vacation home on Nantucket Island, this clean, crisp bedroom alcove shares design features with the rest of the house. Walls and trims are a rich cream color, while window mullions and frames are painted black, a nod to the island’s nautical roots. Brightly-hued lanterns make period-appropriate wall art. Twin beds featuring striped coverings and colorful pillows suit boys, but are just as appropriate for weekend guests.

Why We Love It
Unexpected use of verticality is a space-saver. By elevating the second bed by a few inches, the two can be closer together without sacrificing personal space.

Blue can be just as sweet as pink for a girl’s room when attention is paid to romantic details. Here, sky blue walls melt into matching drapes and balloon shades. A soft white matelassé bedspread makes the bed look like a cloud, while a black chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling adds a touch of sophistication.

Why We Love It
The panels below the wall’s chair rail have a light lace pattern, and the graceful blue curtains are lined with a regal black-and-white border to complement the gingham shades of the chandelier above.

A pink button tufted settee and slipper chair add an air of cultivation to this colorful nursery. A refined chinoiserie tea tray matches the dark wood of the chairs’ curvaceous legs as well as the crib. The bright hues extend to the grass cloth wall covering and the window treatments, where yellow Roman shades pop.

Why We Love It
It pays to keep in mind the number of hours to be spent in a room, and with the comfort and class of this one, who would want to leave?

Classic seafaring tones take the wheel in this room. Toys have a home in a metal treasure chest. A boat bed with gingham linens and plenty of storage in the hull floats over ocean blue cork flooring, covered with a fluffy sheepskin rug.

Why We Love It
Cork flooring is the latest green trend, because it is a rapidly renewable resource. Harvested from the bark of Portugal’s cork trees, it can easily be stripped without damaging the tree itself. Plus, cork won’t harbor dust mites or other allergens.

Timeless feminine charm promises that this bedroom will age along with the girl who calls it hers. The classic style of beadboard bed frame pairs well with the painted bedside table. The lace-trimmed pillowcase complements a miniature floral pattern on the pink Pratesi bed linens. A maypole chandelier is a nod to lasting childhood.

Why We Love It
The clean lines of the beadboard and crown molding are features that will adapt and grow with a shifting color palette.

Twin beds tuck under the second-story eaves of a historical Cape Cod summer home, built in 1817. The “Candystripe” rug from Stark adds playfulness to the busy rose headboard and bed skirt fabric. Shelving on either side of the bed ensures that a good book is always within reach.

Why We Love It
The steep angle of the eaves provides a magical mood for this bedroom. Space-saving techniques are always appreciated in a room like this, because corners are so easily wasted. A built-in cabinet fits snugly between the sloping roof and the floor, creating bedside storage.

Comfort is key in this beautiful baby’s room. A white crib is nestled in a cozy alcove with fluffy white bed linens. A collection of crosses above the crib spark creativity. Shelves on either side of the alcove boast space for all of baby’s belongings, and the heavy cream curtains over Roman shades promise to keep out unwanted light at naptime.

Why We Love It
Every inch of this nursery is plush and soft, down to the thick, luxurious carpet and the inviting nursing chair. The crib’s dust ruffle and table’s slipcover ensure dreamy, comfortable continuity from floor to ceiling.

This room is a dream for an aspiring artist. A kaleidoscopic quilted bed set starts off a flurry of creative designs, colors, and patterns throughout. Lavender walls and a bright yellow reading lamp simulate a sunny day. Crazy pops of color on a whimsical bedside art table guarantee artistic output.

Why We Love It
Who says the garden has to stay outdoors? Breaking out of the box is half the fun of designing a child’s room. By bringing in a picket fence and some cheerful sunflowers, the room is transformed into a fantasy world.

A Lake Michigan cottage home is inspired by the parents’ lingering memories of childhood summer camp. The room is oriented around two Sequoia-scale bunk beds, fitted with drawers below for storage. The rug from Watson Smith plays up the stripes on the wicker chairs and the Classic Cloth shade fabric. The drum table is from Richard Mulligan.

Why We Love It
A seating area with wicker chairs dressed variously in red, white, and blue serves as a metaphor for tree stumps encircling a campfire, while the bunk beds and beadboard ceilings are timeless elements of a summer cottage on the lake.

This picture-perfect, ethereal pink bedroom would make even the most consummate princess green with envy. The pale pink and cream beadboard of the alcove enclose the bed in classic lines and feminine colors. Folding sconces promise optimal reading light, and the blue-and-pink patterned quilt adds sweetness.

Why We Love It
The Swedish-inspired built-in bed has a glide mechanism (brainchild of builder Jeff Ford) that allows the mattress to be easily pulled out to be made. Steps cleverly disguised as drawers add to the magic of this room.

Vibrant turquoise makes this nursery stand out above the rest. Black-and-white zebra stripes tame the wild hue without taking away from its energy. White upholstery lends clean and comfortable lines in the crib and the daybed’s canopy. The fluffy daybed is perfect for nursing and napping, while allowing this room to be effortlessly adapted for an older child’s room in the future.

Why We Love It
Animal prints can easily go rogue, but by using them in small doses here they’re tamed with style. The pattern is also reflected in the black and white vases, monogrammed throw pillows, chalkboard storage bins, and even the crib’s dust ruffle.

Just a two-minute walk from the beach, this boy’s bedroom boasts a “surfer dude” attitude by the surfboard hanging above the bed. The colors of sand and sea abound, from the beige woven rattan wall covering to the ocean-blue area rug below. Starfish pillows add seaworthy style. A distressed-look walnut floor helps hide the sand tracked in during the summer. The built-in bed includes drawers for stowing clothes and toys.

Why We Love It
This homeowner chose a theme and ran with it. Colors are used in variety so one does not dominate the rest. We especially love the woven rattan on the ceiling, mirroring the texture of the floor rug and giving this room 360-degree authenticity.

This babies’ room features side-by-side cribs for easy cooing and coddling. Playful prints on the walls and plenty of friendly animals ensure the first memories are happy ones. Gauzy curtains diffuse harsh light while keeping this room bright and welcoming.

Why We Love It
The colorful alphabet along the ceiling adds spunk. Simple decorating allows for easy adaptation to a child’s playroom.

Little girls everywhere would drool over this heavenly bedroom. Pinks and peaches dominate the color palette, with complementary gilded accessories. A black painted bed frame boasts bunnies standing guard, and a zebra rug is made from llama wool hand-loomed in Peru. An adjoining bathroom creates a suite for the teenage years.

Why We Love It
Eco-friendly spaces always top our lists. With floors made from recycled wine corks, organic Pottery Barn Kids bedding, and an organic wool and cotton mattress from Ergo Sleep Studio, allergies are kept at bay.

This Newport Beach, California, bedroom has an understated maritime theme. Boat patterned comforters are met with preppy striped linens on twin beds. The comforters’ fabric extends to the window treatments over the French doors. Woven straw wall covering encloses the vestibule on the far wall, while classic white panels work their way over the ceiling to a vintage-looking pirate ship chandelier.

Why We Love It
Whenever you can consolidate a bedroom and playroom, it saves space as well as clean-up time. This sturdy wooden worktable is ideal for coloring and homework, with extra chairs to invite friends over for the fun.

Ralph Lauren Paint introduces warm color on the walls of this children’s room on the Atlantic coast. Also featured is a lively animal print wall covering. Scandia Down comforters warm up the Peacock Alley bedding. The geometric-pattern, tone-on-tone area rug adds to the whimsical array of patterns.

Why We Love It
The mixing and matching of patterns along with the menagerie of wild animals fuel playtime. A large-print wall covering is balanced out by the scale of the patterned area rug from Kalatay.

Sophisticated yet sweetly feminine, this girl’s bedroom is highlighted by a canopy bed dressed in billowing yards of floral fabric. Pink velvet pillows, a white matelassé coverlet, and a lush dust ruffle give the bed a princess quality that suits the pale pink walls and white tray ceiling. A vintage baby buggy and desk add an heirloom quality to this timeless setting.

Why We Love It
Nothing says fairytale like a draping, floral canopy bed. Small details around the room include violet gems dripping from the chandelier, pretty bows on the chair and bassinet, and songbirds perched on the curtain rod above the double hung windows.

Restful nights are guaranteed in this soothing lavender baby’s room. A sheer canopy drapes over a beautiful, plush crib. Inviting pale yellow chaise longue chairs rest side-by-side for mother and child. Charming bunnies play around the room and along the crown molding. A cozy fireplace warms the room while a large mirror on the mantel reflects diffused light from the gauzy windows.

Why We Love It
The lilac wall paint doesn’t feel too heavy when applied in vertical stripes with alternating white. The white bunny cutouts and sheer curtains also help keep the color scheme light and dreamy.

Neutral colors offer the perfect backdrop for a little boy who likes to play with blocks and cars. Luckily the beige walls and window coverings will grow with him, looking just as appropriate with the hobbies of the ‘tween years. An elegant day bed with canopy gives the room a grown-up gravitas that is belied – for now -- by the overflowing toy box and teddy bear on the gold-toile armchair. As with the rest of the house, the floor is made from bleached wood for a fresh look.

Why We Love It
A canopy leans toward the feminine, but when upholstered in bold tangerine and beige with dark woods, this daybed is fit for a king. The neo-classical canopy drapes down from a regal gilded crown, matching the chandelier above.

Tone-on-tone striped walls and a maple bed stay quietly in the background while red accents (such as the drapery hardware) add energy and life to this bedroom built for a boy. Red-plaid fabric turns an upholstered storage ottoman and decorative pillow into points of interest.

Why We Love It
This bedroom will seamlessly adapt with age. A solid red side table displays a baseball lamp and globe that say “boy” but can just as easily hold a smart phone and tablet for a teen in a few years.

This bright bedroom is perfect for a Dr. Seuss-loving child of imagination. Various hues of pinks and oranges take center stage on a plush area rug. Festive puffs hang from the ceiling. The sheer canopy over the bed adds a touch of girlish charm. A chalkboard helps creativity flow, while the floor rug provides plenty of space for tumbling and playing.

Why We Love It
Though the bright colors pop against one another, a carefully chosen palette ensures that they don’t clash. Tri-tonal walls help the white ceiling gracefully blend in with the vibrant furnishings below.